Many attempts have been made to increase the entertainment value of computer games and training systems. An area of extreme interest, both for designers and users of these systems, is that of physical immersion into a computer-generated world. A desire to have the sensation of truly being “in the game” has brought about the term “virtual reality”. The expression of this desire has been heavily pursued in both the entertainment and training industries. Examples are seen in the creation of sensors in hand or body gloves and helmets, infrared or other motion detecting devices, sensory replication devices, voice recognition and command, and display eyeglasses or goggles.
Some solutions purport to be able to (1) detect the movement of a user, (2) provide feedback information to the user, and (3) be adapted to other computer gaming or training systems. But these solutions typically either fail to disclose a means for accomplishing these goals, or describe various functions and feedback that are incompatible with existing systems currently in wide use. In some solutions, the complexity of the information to be computed is increased to such an extent that there is no practical application without specialized computers and specifically designed programs. For example, one solution attempts to replicate the exact movements and leaning of a real bike ride. As the bike leans however, it is not clear how the centrifugal forces of real riding are replicated in such a way as to keep a user from falling off of the bike in a deep turn. This solution requires the use of force-feedback information, which requires specialized programming and processors.
Some solutions display a number of possible configurations as a means for arranging components that create a desired outcome, but fail to specify the mechanical or electronic inner workings of the device. Some solutions suggest that signals could be transmitted via analog means. However, an analog transmission provides imprecise movement along various axis within computer software commonly in use today. Some solutions mention digital transmission but fail to disclose a means for interfacing between the mechanical and electronic mechanisms comprising the computer gaming or training systems.
Some solutions require a separate computer and monitor in addition to whatever computer and user monitor a user already possesses, thus failing to leverage existing computer resources and making the solution prohibitively expensive.
Some solutions feature interfacing optical beams interruptible by the movements of a user's feet, but fail to disclose a means for transmitting this information into a readable signal for the gaming or training device.
One solution features a common joystick normally interfaced with a computer. A braking effect occurs within a game when interfaced with an exercise bicycle that is being pedaled too slowly. But this solution requires a minimum speed to be maintained in order to move within the game at all.
Other solutions are limited in its scope of various axis movements through a 3-D world. Still other solutions disclose various non-intuitive means, such as switches, for turning and moving up and down.
One solution features a configuration for setting a laptop on a shelf attached to a treadmill, which is outfitted with a roller, to detect motion on the treadmill and integrated buttons. But this design limits the user to a button pushing means of other axis movement and turning through the game, with the exception of the forward movement.
Other solutions relate to programmed control of gaming or training equipment, rather than the equipment controlling a gaming or training program.
The technical limitations and commercial applications of the various devices intended to increase physical involvement in a computer-generated world have been widely varied. Commercial success with such devices often requires additional advances in computing power in order to handle all of the information provided by these devices. Without the computing power to support them, use of these devices creates a perceptible delay between what is acted out by the user, and the feedback the user receives. When the delay is perceptible, the original purpose of the virtual reality is defeated. The more complex the information being received and fed back to the user, the longer the delay, and the more powerful and advanced the computers system requirements, in order to overcome the problem. Presently, there are many gaming and training systems that function with widely used home computers, with relatively little delay time. However, these tend to have a limited benefit in terms of physical involvement, as they depend primarily upon small hand movements such as button pushing.
Accordingly, a need exists in the art for an improved user interface for computer applications such as gaming, training, and other applications, that is compatible with widely used computer systems and programs. A further need exists for such a solution that increases the physical involvement or expression of the user in the computer application, while maintaining the complexity of the information to be processed by the computer and simplifying the operation for the user, thus creating a more intuitive physical action for the user in the user's interactions with a game, training system or other application.